Measurement Receiver
Aeroflex provides measurement systems to survey RF fields and investigate the characteristics of RF channels used in mobile and PMR communication systems. Our equipment has been designed to meet all of the RF surveying needs of a mobile operator, from initial CW surveys through prediction model calibration to detailed problem investigation and network optimization. The Aeroflex series of receivers are designed to measure the following properties of an RF field.
Log normal field variation
The RF field from a transmitter falls slowly with distance from the transmitter following a log normal curve. This is the underlying RF field that is predicted from RF prediction tools. In practice the field does not follow the log normal curve due to effects such as shadowing, clutter attenuation etc. this is why the field is measured to determine what it really is and hence how accurate the prediction. Measurements can be distance based to meet Lee or Parson's criterion.
Multipath
Multipath due to reflections from the various objects causes variation in the observed RF field. These variations tend to change rapidly with distance. They act as ‘noise’ on the measurement of the underlying log normal field. Measurements of the multipath (short-term) fading are made to determine the actual variations in the RF field. These measurements identify the statistical characteristics of the fast fading channel.
Channel Occupancy
Channel occupancy measurements determine whether an RF channel is in use or not by setting an RF level as the threshold.
